Six new natural gas plants coming to the Bakken in the next two years

State pipeline authority director Justin Kringstad said two are being completed this year, and four others are scheduled next year.

"The two plants in 2018 are scheduled to come on-line in the September-October time frame," Kringstad said. "They will add 400 million cubic feet (mcf) of gas processing."

Kringstad said the total investment in those two facilities is $300 million.

"The additional four plants (in 2019) will bring that total to 965 mcf for all six plants," Kringstad said. "The total investment is $1.3 billion."

Kringstad said that investment is important – as the oil and gas industry will be facing a new gas capture goal in November. The current goal is 85 percent capture – and that goes to 88 percent in November.

"Gas production has exceeded plant capacity," Kringstad said. "That's a major reason for some of the challenges North Dakota has been seeing in gas capture."

Kringstad said the two new plans coming on line this year will provide relief. But he said it may be temporary.